Join biologist Clarence Hickey on January 13th at 7:00 p.m. to learn how he raises monarch caterpillars in his home and then releases them into the wild. The eastern monarch butterfly population has experienced a significant population reduction in recent years, due in part to the decrease in the amount of milkweed available as a food source. In this fascinating intersection of human and natural history, learn how Clarence Hickey planted common native milkweed in his yard to aid migrating and reproducing Maryland monarchs.
Clarence Hickey is a biologist, holding a B.S. in biology and an M.S. in marine biology. Prior to grad school, Clarence served in the U.S. Army Medical Service as a clinical laboratory and blood bank specialist, and hospital medic supporting the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam era. He was a marine researcher early in his career and wrote a book, On the East End, about his experiences with marine fisheries and commercial fishermen. Clarence later worked for the federal government until his retirement in 2005, serving as an environmental scientist and environmental impact assessment specialist. He has more than 150 science, nature, and environmental publications in many print media sources.
In retirement, Clarence volunteers with many community organizations, public and private, offering programs in local history, 19th century medical history, natural resources, and how to be your own scientist studying nature in your own backyard. Clarence has been helping to conserve monarch butterflies by capturing their caterpillars on his backyard milkweed and raising them for release. In 2021, Clarence began tagging and releasing his butterflies as part of a national program to study the migrations of monarchs.